Nowadays, travelling by plane is the first preference for everyone, because of the speed, security and comfort. ‘Flights with layover” are preferred by many travellers because they are budget friendly, even though they take longer time than direct flights. On the other hand, long layovers might be a boring and tiring experience, while 2-3 hours of waiting is not a big deal for anyone. Fortunately, many airport corporations and their partners provide entertaining and relaxing solutions for layovers. In this article, let us see how you can enjoy layovers.
1. Relaxing At A Hotel Nearby The Airport
If your layover is 8 – 10 hours or over, the best solution is to stop over at a hotel nearby the airport to refresh and rest. You can get over the fatigue of the previous flight, have a shower and sleep in a comfortable bed, so you can start the next flight in this way.
Tempo Suites Airport and Tempo Fair Suites are ideal options with their comfort and affordable prices for such a layover and only 5 minutes away from the Istanbul Ataturk Airport.
As an ideal activity for 5 – 10 hours of layovers, city tours can be organized on your own after a short research or can be bought from airports. If you organize it, you should carefully consider the time needed to see attractions and airport transfers.
You can also have organized tours where the layovers are common. Such as;
Istanbul Ataturk Airport: Several city tours include Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia and Grand Bazaar, while the shortest one takes 6 hours.
Singapore Changi Airport: During the day, there are 6 city tours depart from Terminal 2 and 3, each takes 2,5 hours.
Tokyo Narita Airport: There are guided and self guided tours at Tokyo Narita Airport and transfer costs belong to the passenger.
Seoul Incheon Airport: There are 7 different city tours between 1-5 hours and each is free.
Doha Hamad Airport: They offer free city tours for Qatar Airways passengers, who has 5 hours or over layovers.
3. Sleeping Boxes
Even though they are not available in all airports, sleeping boxes are getting common. These capsules are rent hourly based and contain a bed, shower and a toilet inside. You can find them at several airports under the names of Yotel, Napcabs or Sleepbox.
4. Sports and Art Activities
Some of the airports help passengers to relax and enjoy layovers with gym, yoga and meditation centers. Amsterdam Schiphol Airport is a good example for sports activities.
Some others provide museum and art galleries for passengers to visit exhibitions.
Because these are not available in all airports, you should check the services of your layover airport provided in advance.
5. Massage and Spa Treatment
The main issue during a flight is waist, neck and leg pain caused by sitting still for long time. And massage & spa centers at many airports are both a solution for this problem and an opportunity to enjoy a layover. You can spend time as long as you want, from 15 minutes to 1,5 hours, at these massage and spa centers.
Author: Işıl Arıkan
